Leonard Schwartz for Congress
Get Government Busybodies Off Your Back -- Vote Libertarian

Fees, Fines, and Regulations

Americans suffer from a plague of regulations. The Code of Federal
Regulations is 169,000 pages long. At least 20,000 pages change each
year. State and local governments likewise issue voluminous regulations.

Democrats and Republicans love to spend your money. But they know that
voters dislike taxes. So they use fees, fines, and forfeitures as sneaky
ways to raise revenue without calling them "taxes."

They impose fines and forfeitures, cancel licenses, and even imprison
people who mistakenly violate regulations. For example, doctors and psychologists who don't comply with this week's
interpretation of this week's regulations are prosecuted for Medicare and
Medicaid fraud.

Although regulations are
voluminous, vague, and unstable, ignorance of the law is not
considered an excuse. Even reliance on incorrect advice from government
bureaucrats often is not an excuse.

Compliance with the law is a problem for all Americans. But it is a
greater problem for small businesses.

Before elections, some Democrats and Republicans promise to reduce or
clarify regulations. After elections, they ignore their promises. Only
Libertarians truly want to reduce and clarify regulations.

I oppose the abuse of fees, fines, forfeitures, and imprisonment. I want to
protect Americans from government harassment.